Notes from this week's podcast: Making Your Wedding Garment, Part 2
We're in a preparation stage -- getting ready for the Bridegroom. And the Bride/we are making ourselves ready. We want to be beautiful. We want to be pure, clean, bright, radiantly white for the Bridegroom.
Everyday we need to be attentive -- not waste time on unnecessary things -- lusting after the world, lusting after the flesh.
It requires a pure heart. We need to be intentional. Periodically, we need to examine the heart -- allow God, through the Holy Spirit, to circumcise our hearts.
Ask God: Would you take your flashlight, and would you shine that flashlight all over my heart? And, if there's anything that needs to be cut away, anything that is (unholy, unrighteousness) inhibiting me from freely loving you, God? Would you cut it away?
And where He cuts, also ask Him to heal that cut. Heal it with righteousness.
Take a moment. Focus on giving God the time to circumcise your heart. Willingly expose yourself so that you can confess (acknowledge, agree) the sin.
You want to be restored in your relationship with God.
We can trust the Holy Spirit to cut only/exactly what needs to be cut, only what is necessary.
What is the Holy Spirit after? Complete restoration, complete healing, restored to love
* Don't wait until there's a regret. Simply cry out for God to circumcise your heart. You know when something has interfered with that love relationship with God. You know when you're out of fellowship with God because of unconfessed sin.
When bitterness and anger creeps in, when things are out of control, those are red flags. Don't isolate.
What is God after? Not humiliation; humility before Him. Come back to Him.
He makes it well for you. We want to be ready, adorned, pure, righteous. He gives us the grace to do it.
You can trust Him because He is good. He's only going to do what is necessary/adequate, what is excellent.
Scripture for further study: Romans 2:29; Deuteronomy 6:5, 30:6; Psalm 51; 2 Corinthians 4:17; Psalm 106:1; Revelation 19:7-8
